


LP1 - "Happy Times/What Do You Do In The Infantry"

by MovesLikeBucky



Series: Wasteland Jukebox [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, POV Alternating, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-23 22:00:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16167740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MovesLikeBucky/pseuds/MovesLikeBucky
Summary: It had been about two months since they came here from Concord, six weeks since they got rid of the raiders terrorizing Abernathy Farm, five weeks since they liberated Tenpines Bluff and Starlight, four weeks since the Sanctuary Hills recruitment radio beacon was built, and two weeks since he had scared Sofia out of town.





	1. Happy Times

_Though things may look very dark_

_Your dream is not in vain_

_For when do you find the rainbow?_

_Only after rain_

([Happy Times](https://youtu.be/GFfaR3I--zI) - Bob Crosby)

 

Sanctuary was thriving.

It had been about two months since they came here from Concord, six weeks since they got rid of the raiders terrorizing Abernathy Farm, five weeks since they liberated Tenpines Bluff and Starlight, four weeks since the Sanctuary Hills recruitment radio beacon was built, and two weeks since he had scared Sofia out of town.

 _Fucking idiot,_ Preston mentally kicked himself for the fiftieth time this week, _you’ll be lucky if she comes back at all._

She was just so damn good at all of this.  The settlements were growing, people wanted to help the cause.  She had a knack for finding people just the right jobs to do, and for organizing those people into a working unit.  Hell, she’d even set up supply lines between the current settlements, making a network that was stronger together, both defensively and economically.  People were volunteering for the Minutemen again, they just needed someone to rally behind.

Who better than the “blue angel”?  Savior of Sanctuary Hills?  And didn’t Mama Murphy say she was destined to save the Commonwealth?

Preston was sure she would do it, that she’d be happy to do it.  He’d been running back through what he’d said, how stupid the whole thing was.  Someday he'd have to learn not to make assumptions.  

He replayed the conversation in his head for what felt like the millionth time.

 

////

_“Hey, Sofia, can I talk to you real quick?” He had found her machining pieces for an old shotgun she’d gotten from the raider den near Abernathy Farm.  He loved watching her make pieces for her guns out of what looked like just junk to him._

_“Sure, Preston, I’ve always got time for you,” she turned her head toward him and smiled; he felt a lump growing in his throat, “What’s up?”_

_“Well, as you know, the Minutemen had their last stand back at Quincy, but we’ve been getting volunteers thanks to the radio beacon, and I think we’ll be able to rebuild and be a true force for good around here.” He was practically beaming.  A month and a half ago he didn’t even think he’d survive this long, much less bring the Minutemen back._

_“That’s great, Preston,” she said, standing up from her weapons bench and wiping her hands on her jeans, “but what does that have to do with me, exactly?”  She crossed her arms and eyed him quizzically._

_“Well,” he swallowed hard, it had taken some nerve to convince himself to ask her this, “with how many new people we have coming in, we need to give them actual, tangible direction.  I think it’s time that someone had the rank of General again.  That’s the figurehead and leader of the Minutemen, and we don’t have one right now.”_

_“I thought you were the de facto leader,” she laughed, “Mister Last-Of-The-Minutemen.  So what, you want me to vet some of these newbies, see if any of them make sense for the role?  Seems kind of superfluous to me, you’re right here.” She gestured at him like this was the most obvious thing in the world._

_“No, no, I can’t,” he shook his head, “I can get my men through a fight and defend a perimeter against all odds, but that’s not enough to bring the Minutemen back from the brink.  We need someone who knows tactics, who has the respect of the people and the ability to organize those people.  Most importantly someone who truly cares about them.”_

_“Don’t_ you  _truly care about everyone?  Or is that just a façade you made up to impress me?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.  He couldn’t tell if it was lighthearted ribbing or if she was actually flirting with him._

_“Yes, I mean, the caring thing,” he stammered as she was laughing at him, “that’s a given, but we need someone who can bring the whole Commonwealth together for a common cause, and I think I know the person who’s right for the job.”_

_“Ok then, spill it Garvey,” she sighed, “who’s the mystery General?”_

_“Well, um, Sofia,” he he steadied himself; he knew this was a lot to ask for  “I was hoping that you’d take up the mantle actually?”_

_He had realized his mistake as soon as the words had left him, her face fell slowly into stunned silence.  Like a radstag in the headlights.  “I mean… it’s not… you don’t have to,” he tried desperately to bring the situation back to normal, “I just know a good leader when I see one, and I think you have the right stuff for it.  You don’t have to if you don’t want to, I know you have so much more going on with the settlements and searching for your son.  You don’t have to answer me right now, it’s fine.”  He wished she’d stop staring like that, but more-so he wished he’d never said anything in the first place._

_“Sofia,” he waved a hand in front of her face, “Are you still with me?”_

_“Look, uh, I have to go, I never did check out that ghoul problem over at Oberland Station and we could always use another settlement on the supply line so,” she gestured vaguely with her hands while backing away from him, “I’m gonna go….do that…or something.  I’ll see you soon, Preston, I promise.”_

////

 

And with that she was gone, and he hadn’t seen her in two weeks. Hadn’t heard from her, either, no one had.  She and Dogmeat had left in a hurry and, despite her saying so, he was sure she wasn’t coming back.  She didn’t divulge much about her time in the military, she always changed the subject when he brought it up.  Must’ve been bad, for her to get scared like that.  He should’ve known better; if she didn’t want to talk about it she must have her reasons.

They’d already gotten word that Oberland had joined their network, less than five days after she left.  She always worked fast, especially when people needed help, and Preston admired that about her.  What bothered him was that word had come from a provisioner; usually she’d come back and tell him herself.  Not to mention they hadn’t heard anything since then.  He couldn’t help but worry about her after that.

They had built up a comfortable friendship over the past two months, relying on each other quite a bit.  They had even been showing each other small signs of affection.  A hand on a shoulder, sometimes a friendly hug. He could easily say she was his best friend, and she had introduced him as hers several times already.  He had gone with her to Diamond City, to look for Nick Valentine.  Nick was an old synth moonlighting as a detective, and was by far the best in the Commonwealth.  Nick’s secretary, Ellie, had informed them he was missing, and she wasn’t sure where to look. At the time, they had stopped off back here to check on everything before going on the search for the missing detective, and that’s when he had decided to broach the subject.

Stupid idea really.

Now he was sitting at the picnic table under the big tree in the center of Sanctuary.  He liked it here, you could see the bridge since the ruined houses had been cleared. Maybe he’d try to build some kind of guard house where one of the old houses used to be.  The bridge was the only way in and the only way out without crossing the irradiated water, so it would be a highly defensible position, not to mention sharing living arrangements with the Longs was starting to feel a little cramped.  His thoughts were interrupted by a nasally laugh across the table.

“Young man, ya get so lost in your thoughts these days, it’s a wonder the world doesn’t float right by you.”

“Hello, Mama Murphy, didn’t hear you come over,” he smiled at her.  He liked the old woman, she was fun to be around, if a little crazy. He just wished she’d kick those chems of hers, it broke his heart to see someone destroying themselves like that. “What brings you out and about today?”

“The sight, my dear, the sight.  It never lies, ya know?  It has a message for you this time, for the great Preston Garvey, savior of the Minutemen, one half of the two great hopes for the Commonwealth.”

He laughed at that, “I don’t know about all of that Mama Murphy, I’m not a savior of anything, I’m just doing the best I can to make sure the people here live another day.”

“Ah, yes, that’s how ya see yourself, but that’s not how the sight sees you Mister Garvey.  That’s not how _she_ sees ya, either.  I’ve seen things, ya know, things that will soon come to pass.  A train for freedom, running through the Commonwealth.  Independence will be reclaimed from the sea.  Two evils will make themselves known.  One a dark cloud of blackbirds flying overhead.  The other, stark and sterile steel, deep in the Earth.  You will destroy them together and after that you will rebuild together.” She smiled at him knowingly.  As if what she just said made complete and total sense.

Preston just stared at her with a confused look on his face. “Okay, but seriously,” he said, laughing, “What the hell does any of that mean?”

Mama Murphy just shrugged and smiled.  “The sight is as the sight is, it only gives me glimpses, and points me to who needs them.  It’s up to _you_ to interpret what it means to _you_ ,” she placed a withered hand over his, “But I do know this, young man, you and Sofia make a great team.” She leaned in closer to him, “Don’t lose hope, and don’t let her do this alone.  Sofia has a good heart, have faith in her.  She’ll come back around.”

“I know she does, but I pushed it too far.”  Preston sighed heavily, “I’m so sure she can be the leader that the Minutemen need, but I was too hasty.  She has to find her son, she doesn’t have time to be the General.  I promised I’d help her, and now she might not come back thanks to me.”

"Mister Garvey," Mama Murphy said, shaking her head, "You are going to have to give yourself some more credit one of these days.  If it weren't for you, we wouldn't  _be_ here.  We wouldn't be safe, we'd have all died back in Quincy, or Jamaica, or wherever.  You've been let down so many times, what would one more be?"

Preston just nodded, he didn't really think he'd done all that much.  He'd only done his job; and in his mind, he didn't need to give himself credit for that.  "So," he asked, "You're sure she's gonna come back?  It's not gonna be more of the same?"

She patted his hand, “Dear, there are some things I don’t need the sight to see, and this is one of them, she’ll be back.”

Preston smiled at the old woman, maybe she knew more than he gave her credit for.  Then it donned on him.  “Wait a minute,” he said suspiciously, “That stuff earlier sounded like prophesizing, and you need chems for that.  Who gave you chems?”  He frowned at her; everyone in Sanctuary was under strict orders NOT to give any chems to her.

“I have my sources, young man,” she said with a sudden haughty air as she poked him in the chest, “And as a woman of my age I don’t have to tell ya what those sources are.”

“It was Trashcan Carla wasn’t it?” Preston asked.  Carla didn’t like the rules very much, she was more concerned about making a quick cap or two.

“Doesn’t matter, Dear.  Look.” Mama Murphy pointed a shaky finger behind him to the bridge, where a bedraggled Sofia and Dogmeat were returning, “I told ya, have faith in her. Happy times are ahead, dear. Happy, happy times.”  She stood up and patted his shoulder, then turned and walked away.

Preston could hardly believe his eyes.  After two weeks and no word, Sofia was back.  He got up from the table and rushed down to the bridge, running down the hill rather than taking the road.  Dogmeat ran up to him as he got closer. 

“Hey boy, good to see you too,” he laughed, kneeling down to scratch Dogmeat behind his ears, “You took good care of her, right?”

“He always does,” Sofia said, as she limped over to them, “So, uh, I’ve been gone for a while and I’m sorry.”  She hadn’t slept, he could tell.  Her clothes were bloody and she had a couple of fresh, new scars.  She was limping, with a wound on her leg that was just starting to succumb to the intervention of a stimpak. 

Preston had never seen anything more beautiful in his life; he was just glad she was home safe.

“No, no,  _I’m_ the one who needs to be sorry,” he looked her over again, “Are you hurt bad?”

“Nah, stimpak’s kicking in, I’ll be better in no time,” she paused momentarily, staring into the distance and looking for her words, “Look, I overreacted, I shouldn’t have just run off like that.  Not without coming back to check in or sending word more regularly, I’m sure you guys were worried.”

“Yes, I-" he quickly corrected himself, " _We_ were, but you’re back now and that’s what’s important,” he sighed, stood up, and pulled her into a friendly hug as they walked, partially to help support her off of that busted leg, “I’m sorry if I was out of line, I shouldn’t have asked you that, not while-“

She cut him off, “I’ll do it.  I’ll be the General of the Minutemen.”

“Wait…really?” He thought he might be hearing things, he broke the hug to look at her face.  “Are you sure?  I don’t want to be responsible for putting a burden on you that you don’t want.  You really don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, I mean it.  I really do want to be the General.  I’m sorry I left things like that, it was just…well…a lot to process at one time,” She looked to the ground, but Preston saw that same anger from the night they met in her face; the anger from when she spoke of the military.  “I met some people, a couple of days ago, and they reminded me why I left the army in the first place.  People like them, they’re not in anything for the right reasons.”  She turned to him and looked him right in the eyes and smiled. That big smile she had that hid so much sadness underneath the surface.

“I _want_ to do things for the right reasons here, I _want_ to help these people.  The best way I can do that is right here, with the Minutemen.”

“Wow! That’s – ” he found himself stammering again, “That’s great news! I feel like this is a whole new start for the Minutemen, and the Commonwealth, too!”  His face was almost hurting from smiling so big at that point.

“I just hope I’m the right woman for the job,” her face fell again as sadness took her over, “I’ve seen some shit in my life, Preston, and these people today just dredged it all back to the surface.”

“Do you wanna talk about it? I’m here if you need me,” he said, “I’m not going anywhere any time soon.”

“Yeah, yeah I think so,” she said, looking more than a little relieved, “But first, we found somebody to run that new bar we built, right?”

“Yeah, the new guy from Diamond City.  Said he used to work for the Bobrov brothers, so we put him there.”

“Good, cuz I need a beer,” she grabbed his hand and started for the bar, practically dragging him behind her, “Or maybe some whiskey.  It’s gonna be a long story, sure you wanna hear it?” She grinned at him over her shoulder. Small moments like this were what their friendship was built on, and the fact that she wanted to lead the Minutemen for him – no, not for him, for the Commonwealth – meant more to him than he could ever convey to her.

He stole a glance back towards the big chestnut tree and saw Mama Murphy watching them, a knowing smile on her face.  He couldn't help but wonder just what she knew, and just what she wasn't fully letting on.  But for now, Sofia's hand was in his and everything was good with the world, if only for a moment.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, General.”


	2. What Do You Do In the Infantry?

_What do you do in the infantry?_

_You march, you march, you march_

_What do you do when your pack has got_

_Your back as stiff as starch?_

([What Do You Do In The Infantry?](https://youtu.be/QpU27WorBDk) - Bing Crosby)

 

Two days walk to Oberland Station and an overnight raid to clear out the feral ghoul den was all it took.  Just like that, chalk up another settlement to the Minutemen network.

All in all, not a bad time.  Sofia had found quite a bit of junk to take back to Sanctuary and scrap, and the radio beacon was already in working order.  There’d be new settlers here in no time.  She had decided to take a well-earned smoke break and was sitting on a low retaining wall.  Dogmeat was lying next to her with his head in her lap.

She took a long drag and Dogmeat looked up at her, crooking his head to the side.

“Not yet, boy,” she said as she scruffed his ears, “I can’t go back yet.”  He laid his head back down and whined.  She didn’t blame the poor dog, she wanted to go home, too.  But she was just too damn mad right now.  What was Preston thinking?

“Pfft, General, what the actual hell,” she said, taking one last drag and tossing her cigarette into the dirt, “You know, boy, you’d think in two hundred years men would get smarter.  If I don’t wanna talk about my time in the service, what on God’s green earth makes Preston think I’d wanna be a _fucking General_ in his?”

Dogmeat just stared at her and let out a quiet huff, then rolled over on his back.

“Ah, of course, belly rubs are the answer to all life’s questions,” she put on a sing-song voice as she pet him, “The life of a dog, must be nice.”

She stared into the distance.  Sofia didn’t really understand Preston’s faith in her.  Sure, the network of settlements was growing, and the supply lines were her idea, _and_ she had put them into motion.  But someone else would’ve thought of that eventually.  There had to be more people, better qualified, for that job.  She still didn’t understand why the fuck he didn’t just do it himself.

They had become very close over the last month and a half, running missions for the settlements and building the network.  She’d seen him in action plenty of times, he was a good soldier, crack shot with a laser musket.  He was so dedicated to the Minutemen and to rebuilding, shouldn’t that be enough?  The only thing he was missing was the tactical skill, but that could be taught. Maybe he was missing the confidence, too.  She had more than a few ideas about how to boost his ego, but she kept them on the backburner. Sofia wasn’t ready for anything like that, not even casually, and definitely not with Preston.

In the short time she’d known him, Preston had become her best friend.  She wasn’t about to jeopardize that just because she was lonely.  Sofia didn’t know when exactly she started having these feelings, she just knew they weren’t welcome.  She wasn’t even sure where his thoughts on her were, anyway.  He probably saw her as just a friend, and that was fine with her.  In fact she really wanted this train of thought to stop but couldn’t seem to get it to. 

None of that mattered; the main thing now was that she couldn’t keep putting off her return.  She couldn’t just leave him hanging like that.  He needed an honest answer from her, she just wasn’t sure if she had one to give yet.

One of the settlers here had told her about an old Corvega plant that was only about a day’s walk out of her way back to Sanctuary. Might be worth checking out for scrap.  Might be good to kill some time.

So she hopped off of her perch and slung her pack over her shoulder, letting out a groan at the stiffness of her back.  Too much junk, she’d see if one of her provisioners could take it back to Sturges; he was better at scrapping old stuff for anything remotely useful. 

She debated radioing in to Preston, but honestly she still didn’t want to talk to him.  Scavenging wouldn’t take that long, maybe an extra day.  Sofia decided she’d send word with the provisioner, Preston could just wait for her to get back before he had his answer.  Shouldn’t take longer than a few days, anyway.

////

 

One day out of Oberland and Sofia had found herself somewhere very strange indeed.  An entire greenhouse staffed fully by Mr. Handy bots and Ms. Nanny bots.  There weren’t even people to eat the food, they just kept growing it after the bombs fell because they were programmed to do so. Supervisor White was happy to join in their settlement coalition, especially once Sofia gave them some extra tato and razorgrain seeds to work with.  As her and Dogmeat left for Corvega, she couldn’t help but wonder how Preston would react to having a settlement full of robots.

She couldn’t help but wonder why she kept wondering about him. He seemed to have permeated her thoughts in very strange ways lately.

No doubt he was probably worried, she’d never sent word of settlements with someone else.  She’d always given her report directly.  She still didn’t want to go back, and she knew she was stalling.

Sofia didn’t think she could handle seeing disappointment in those eyes of his; that was the only thing right now making her lean towards a ‘yes’.  But her fears were outweighing everything else.

“Dogmeat, I just don’t know,” she said to him as they marched up the hill to the old auto plant, “What if something bad happens?”

Dogmeat, of course, offered no real answers, just a wag of his tail and a gentle bark.  But it made her feel better, so she continued, “What if I make a bad call, or what if I go mad with power!” She gesticulated wildly at Dogmeat, which earned her another, louder bark.  “What if I accidentally nuke a settlement?”  Her voice got louder and Dogmeat reacted by barking more and jumping around, “What if a horde of Deathclaws attacks, what’s the protocol for that?! What if, I dunno, _what if I like Preston and I don’t want to be his commanding officer_?!”

She stopped dead in her tracks.  Dogmeat stopped too and stared up at her with his head cocked to the side.  “I…I didn’t mean to say…I mean…what I meant is…ARGH why am I trying to explain myself you’re a dog, you don’t care,” she sighed and bent down to scratch his ears, “What exactly does a schoolgirl crush mean to a dog?  More scritches, yes it does.”  He yapped happily at her and then ran ahead a little ways. 

She had to get these thoughts out of her head.  In her mind, the time between being frozen, waking up the first time, and waking up the second time had only seemed like minutes.  Her body, on the other hand, could _definitely_ tell it had been a while.  It really wasn’t fair that she was around someone like him when all she could think about was that she really needed a good fuck to get her mind together.  Sofia was a widow, but she wasn't fucking dead.  She still had needs, after all.  She conceived Shaun with Nate in a public park for gods sake.  She liked sex, she just wasn't having any.

And dammit Preston was just so pretty.  His eyes, his smile, his voice, all of it.  More than once she’d caught herself staring at his...assets.  And sometimes when they were on the road he’d just start randomly humming, it was all she could do to not go crazy thinking about that soft soothing tone whispering things she couldn’t even imagine he’d say into her ear as he-

 _Nope, stop it, Sofia,_ she thought to herself.  This was not the train to get on and not the time to get on it.  They were almost at Corvega, and she might finally be able to rest her feet.  This was a lot more walking that she was used to, it was almost like marching in basic again.

Thankfully some static coming across her PipBoy broke her thought process; she hit it a couple of times and the signal came through loud and clear:  Old U.S. military distress coding, and not far away.

"Strange...over two hundred years and this is the same old distress coding.  Wonder what that's about..." she furrowed her brow in contemplation but settled on the fact that this would be another good distraction from her current predicament.

Right now she'd take anything to get her mind out of this place of ceaseless frustration.

“Come on, boy, let’s see if we can help these people out, then we’ll head back home.”

Dogmeat barked happily and trotted along behind her.

////

 

One week and six days had passed since she left Sanctuary for Oberland.  Six days since she had gotten the distress signal.  Sofia had wasted too much time already; the distress call was completely a waste of time.  The only good to come of it is that she was now not nearly as afraid of saying yes to Preston's offer as she had been.  She still didn’t _want_ to do it, she still thought there were better people for the job, but the events of the past several days had made her much more open to the idea.

Complete waste of time.  She had met the remnants of the American military:  The Brotherhood of Steel.

 _Fuck those guys,_ she thought.  She still hated the military viciously, and wanted no part of it. 

Dogmeat hadn’t even liked the three of them, he growled any time they tried to interact with him.  _Smart pup,_ she thought, _probably has a pretty good bullshit meter after being out here so long._

All she wanted now was to be home.  She missed Sanctuary, she missed her house, she missed Preston.  As a friend.  Only as a friend.  Definitely not as a piece of eye candy or anything.  She was almost there, thank god, she just had to pass through Starlight Drive-In and then she’d be just over the hill.  That was when she heard it.

“PUNY HUMANS!” The voice bellowed from the drive-in ahead. Super mutants.  Just what she needed today.  She cocked her shotgun and ran full sprint towards the concession stand, coming up from behind for a sneak attack.

////

 

Sofia trudged up the road from Red Rocket to Sanctuary Hills. Her leg hurt like a bitch; three stimpaks in and it was just now starting to take effect.

Two fucking weeks since she’d left, she’d never been gone that long on her own.  It had probably been at least a week since they had heard her status from the provisioner, and for what?

Chasing down nonsense just to find that the world hadn’t changed as much as she thought.  These people, the Brotherhood of Steel, she didn’t trust them.  Anything built on the ruins of the military _she_ knew couldn’t possibly be a good thing.

As she got closer to the bridge, the pain in her leg abating, she felt her resolve strengthen.  The settlers had been grateful for her help, kept thanking her and the Minutemen.  It made her feel good, helping all of these people at all of these places.  And, schoolgirl crush aside, she respected Preston.  And if he thought she was the person for the job, well, maybe she was. The presence of the Brotherhood made her want to be proactive.  Sofia wasn’t sure why, but she had a feeling that she would have to face these people again, and they wouldn’t be so nice the next time.

Then there were the supermutants at Starlight, stupid suicider fucked up her leg and took out half of the defensive wall.  Her and the settlers got them in the end, but man, this wasteland was relentless.

She was sure Preston would be mad at her for not sending word; at the very least she could expect a stern talking to.  So she couldn’t help but laugh when she saw him literally jump down the hill to meet her at the bridge while Dogmeat ran over to him.

“You took good care of her, right?” Preston asked the dog, and she couldn't help but smile at him as she limped her way towards them.

“He always does,” she said when she caught up.  She felt so guilty about how she left things.  She could see the worry in his eyes and immediately felt ashamed; she’d stayed away because of her pride, and she had missed him. “So, uh, I’ve been gone for a while and I’m sorry.”

Preston stopped her there, “No, no,  _I’m_ the one who needs to be sorry,” he was looking her over, taking note of her newly forming scars and all of the blood on her clothes, “Are you hurt bad?”

“Nah, stimpak’s kicking in, I’ll be better in no time,” she took a deep breath.  She knew what she had to do now, what her role was supposed to be, “Look, I overreacted, I shouldn’t have just run off like that.  Not without coming back to check in or sending word more regularly, I’m sure you guys were worried.”

“Yes, I-, I mean, _we_ were, but you’re back now and that’s what’s important,” he put an arm around her to support her off her limp as they started walking into Sanctuary proper,  Dogmeat dancing around their feet and wagging his tail the whole time.  She couldn't help but lean into him; she couldn't help but notice he smelled like laser cells and chestnuts.  

“I’m sorry if I was out of line," he started, "I shouldn’t have asked you that, not while-“

“I’ll do it,” she interrupted, “I’ll be the General of the Minutemen.”

“Wait…really?"  He stared at her, she could see the hopefulness in his eyes, "Are you sure? I don’t want to be responsible for putting a burden on you that you don’t want.  You really don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.”

“No, I mean it.  I really do want to be the General.  I’m sorry I left things like that, it was just…well…a lot to process at one time,”  Sofia still felt bad, she’d always been stubborn and she’d never really known when to quit.  This new world still didn’t make a lot of sense to her, and she had tried to push the one person who could help her make sense of it away.  Thinking back over the past few days, she felt the heat of anger rising in her face.  One thing she knew at the very least was that the Brotherhood wasn’t what the Commonwealth needed right now.  The people needed the Minutemen.

“I met some people, a couple of days ago, and they reminded me why I left the army in the first place,” she started, it was time she finally told Preston more about her life before the war, “People like them, they’re not in anything for the right reasons.”  She smiled, confident, that she was choosing the right path.

“I _want_ to do things for the right reasons here, I _want_ to help these people.  The best way I can do that is right here, with the Minutemen.”

////

 

Now that their new barkeep, Sam, had set them up with beers, she was ready to talk.  She took a long swig of her Gwinnett before starting.

“Ugh, I needed that, so I’ll start a little at the beginning,” she said.  Preston was sitting next to her at the bar, looking her right in the eyes like he always did. Ugh, stupid hazel eyes made it hard to concentrate.

“When I was in the military, I worked with West Tek on the development of the initial power armor prototypes.”

“Ah, so that’s how you already knew what you were doing back in Concord.”

“Exactly,” she continued, “Me and two other active duty soldiers were working with R&D to make sure that soldiers would be able to use it properly.  We got wind of plans to sell the tech to private security firms and to the individual Commonwealths to be distributed to police forces.  I don't know how much you know about before the war, but the resource wars had led to so many riots and protests and we knew that this wouldn’t end well.  So we brought our concerns to the board, told them we’d walk if they didn’t change their tune.”

“Put that kind of power in the wrong hands,” he shook his head, “well, we already see what the raiders do with it.”

She nodded, continuing her story, “So they wouldn’t budge, so me and the other two walked, just like we said we would.  Our commanding officers didn’t back us up, the money was too good.  After that I became disillusioned with the military as a whole.  I didn’t feel right working for a government who put corporate payouts ahead of the safety of its people.”

“Damn straight,” added Preston, “So that’s why my offer scared you so much.  Sofia, I’m really sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok,” she smiled at him and put her hand over his, “I know you didn’t, but that’s why I’m telling you now.  I met some people this past week who influenced my decision.”

“What happened?” He squeezed her hand ever so slightly, she knew he hated it when she put herself in danger.

“I got a tip from a settler in Oberland about a lot of junk just lying around unscavenged at the old Corvega auto plant, so I decided to check it out.  On the way there, my PipBoy went off with a distress signal from before the war, so naturally I went to see if I could help.”

“Which is just one of the many reasons you’ll be a great General.” Preston smiled and squeezed her hand again.  She liked this comfortable, friendly intimacy between them.

“To be honest, I wish I hadn’t,” she looked down into her beer glass, the liquid inside dwindling as her story went on. “Preston, have you ever heard of the Brotherhood of Steel?”

He furrowed his brow in concentration for a moment, “Yeah, only bits and pieces about them.  Out here they control the capital wasteland, but we don’t usually see them here.”

“Well they were the ones with the distress beacon; a small survey team.  They had lost contact with their main group and needed help getting a transmitter."  She added sarcastically, "You know how much of a sucker I am for helping people.” 

Preston smiled at her, “One of my favorite things about you, General.”

She felt heat rise in her cheeks, the way he said ‘General’ in a low husky growl.  She imagined him calling her that in whispered tones, bodies close, skin on skin-

 _Dammit I said no, stop thinking that,_ she mentally slapped herself out of it.  She shook her head slightly and continued, “We fought our way through a bunch of gen 1 synths to get the transmitter.  I guess their leader thought I was pretty good, he asked me to join them. That’s when I found out they’re the remnants of the military I hated.  Their entire purpose is to horde pre-war technology so the ‘wrong people’, by which they mean anyone who isn’t them, can’t use it.”

Preston interjected, “But pre-war technology is extremely helpful for settlers, especially when it still works; how else would we be able to set up water purifiers or generators if they’re hoarding all of it?  Then what happens?”

“According to Paladin Danse, after that happens _they_ decide who is worthy of having any of the technology.”

Preston was visibly angry, “That’s a load of bullshit! Who are they to decide?”

Sofia smirked at him, “Oh, I know it is.  That’s why I spit in his goddamn face when he asked me to join.  Started on my way back here, ran into some supermutants just outside Starlight. Helped the settlers fight them off and now here I am, _ta-dah!_ ” She waved her hand nonchalantly.

Preston stared at her in shock, “You…you spit in a Brotherhood Paladin’s face?”

“Yep.  Worth it,” she said, “Like I left the military before just to join the same one again?  Ha, fuck that.”

“Well for what it’s worth, Sofia _,_ I’m glad you’re on our side,” Preston laughed, “Just, please don’t spit in my face, ok?”

“Wouldn’t even think of trying, Cowboy”

“Good,” he said, “I know you're the one who can bring the Minutemen back, and bring the whole Commonwealth together.  I’ll be right behind you the whole time.  I don’t trust the Brotherhood, and if they try anything, the Minutemen will be there to stop them.”

“Damn straight we will be,” she said forcefully, as she banged the open palm of her other hand on the table, ”Because I’m not gonna put up with it! That’s what pushed me, that’s why I wanna be the General.  The settlers at Starlight needed help, not control!  And if the Brotherhood wants to try to control the Commonwealth, the Minutemen are gonna be the only thing between them and taking over here.  And I'm not gonna fucking let them.”  She felt tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes, “I know I’ve only been out of the deep freeze for a couple of months, but I’ve grown to love these people and this work we’re doing and I’m not gonna let them screw it up!  _When_ I find Shaun I’m bringing him back with me to a place where he can feel safe, where he doesn’t need to look over his shoulder!”

She almost started crying.  It must’ve been noticeable, because Preston’s hand had moved to her shoulder, warm and comforting.

“Don’t worry, Sofia,” he smiled reassuringly at her, “we’ll build a better Commonwealth for the future, I can promise you that.”

He pulled her into a hug, and honestly she could’ve just melted into him.  He smelled like laserfire and razorgrain, and his hold on her was so gentle yet so strong. Her mind wandered yet again to the deep need she felt for physical intimacy, but she let those thoughts go for now.

 _Schoolgirl crush, that’s all_ , she thought to herself as she breathed in deeply, _nothing more than that._

Surely it would pass, she shouldn’t get involved with anyone right now, anyway.  Especially not her best friend.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading the first LP of my Wasteland Jukebox series! I hope you enjoyed it, I enjoyed writing it. If you wanna know more about Sofia and how they met check out the Prologue; it sets up her motivations from pre-war. Stay tuned for our next disc which will feature gratuitous amounts of walking and Preston being confused by the concept of houseflys and mosquitoes!


End file.
